Showing posts with label BBQ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BBQ. Show all posts

Door FiftyFive (Mississauga)

Posted on Friday, March 25, 2016 by

I wouldn’t call Door FiftyFive a speakeasy as their flashy sign and large frontage isn’t exactly discrete. Still, inside the bar, the dark environment and caged whisky selection excites your senses to want a drink … or two … or five. Without a host at the door, feel free to find an available table and even though their website notes they don’t take reservations, plenty of the larger tables were held so try calling if your party is six plus.


The boss platter ($60) was an easy decision and despite noting it serves two, this dish featuring a selection of meats can easily satisfy four.


The menu explains that Door FiftyFive’s offerings are Southern comfort food incorporating Mediterranean spices and uses a combination of cherry and maple wood chips to smoke meats for hours. Truthfully, I couldn’t decipher the Mediterranean twist and the smoking properties were light (you won’t experience thick barque rings). Nonetheless, the pork ribs smelled intoxicating and were good. A thin layer of tangy North Carolina style BBQ sauce tops them, there’s extra on the side if you need more.

While the brisket has an unappetizing looking layer of fat in the middle, it does make for a succulent piece of meat. The rub could be stronger as the meat itself was rather bland. Not being a huge fan of vinegar based BBQ sauces, I used the pesto type one instead and that also didn’t quite work with the brisket. It did however go nicely with the beef short ribs, cutting against the greasiness; they were tender and nicely cooked.

The fried chicken was surprisingly juicy for being pieces of boneless white meat. The breading was a tad thick, resulting in certain bites that had no chicken and could be salty yet provided tons of crunch. Gravy accompanied the platter but I found the fried chicken flavourful enough on its own.

A score of other items were included in the boss: a rich lean boar smoked sausage, nachos with a fantastic thick zesty chilli, crunchy pickled vegetables, not overly creamy Southern coleslaw and thyme fries (a potato and sweet potato mix). All delicious and provided crunchy, sour and bright contrasts against the heavier meats.

There was one thing missing that we wanted … mac ‘n’ cheese! So, a side of return of the Mack ($9) was required, chocked full of large chunks of maple boar bacon with a Tex Mex cheese base so it had a hint of spiciness. The dish is rather saucy and covered with a thick layer of gooey cheddar so best for sharing.


Door FiftyFive certainly caters to drinkers; they have everything to do with liberations that your heart desires. The selection of cocktails can take a while to make, but all things further than a simple cranberry vodka does. The botanical bliss ($14) sounded delicious with its gin base flavoured with elderflower liqueur, lavender bitters, lemon, Prosecco and syrup. Overall, I liked that it wasn’t sweet and refreshing, but found the mint sprig overpowering (the bits of crush mint were enough) as its infusion ended up overpowering the botanical properties, which are typically strong flavours in their own.

If you prefer alcohol neat, the bar has a selection of bourbon and whiskey flights and of course beer as well. And if waiting to get a beer sounds taxing, try securing one of the tables with its own tap – simply provide the restaurant with your credit card and keep filling to your heart’s content (you’ll be charged based on the amount dispensed).

Whether you want to drink like a Boss or eat like one, if you’re in the Port Credit area, Door FiftyFive is an interesting place to check out. 

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Mississauga, Canada
 Address: 55 Lakeshore Road East

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Door FiftyFive Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


The Carbon Bar Experience (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, January 24, 2016 by
The Carbon Bar Toronto
Tip to restaurants: when you proclaim a menu to be an “experience”, be confident you’ll be able to provide the entire package. It’s not a “tasting menu”, where food is king; you’re now promising diners something more that extends beyond the stomach. Which is exactly why The Carbon Bar needs to rethink if they’re able to execute on the “experience menu”, unless you want a frustrating start and ending to be what diners remember.

When a group of friends and I went for the Carbon Bar experience menu ($49 per person having dropped the fish course), we were expecting tons of food, served family style, which would leave us in a meat coma.

What we didn’t expect was having to wait over half an hour for a reserved table. Just like a restaurant expects customers to make their reservations within 15 minutes of the set time, I also assume a reservations means a table will be available within 15 minutes of the scheduled hour. How many times have you been warned when getting a table that it’d need to be vacated by a certain time to accommodate a reservation? The fact that the Carbon Bar didn’t communicate this to a couple that was holding up a table for a large group is a sign of poor management.

Afterwards, to appease the group with no more than a "Heard you waited a while, sorry about that” from the server? That’s even worse. Bringing me to my second tip to restaurateurs: if you’ve screwed up, apologize and compensate - we added extra items to our meal, something inexpensive like the KFC could have easily been comped helping to ease the frustration a bit.

Nonetheless, once we were seated and the food started arriving, the experience improved. Sensing we were in hangry moods, a platter of fried delights arrived quickly following the wine. Fried mac 'n' cheese, beef croquettes and fried oysters were all accompanied by tailored creamy spicy dipping sauces.


The crisp exterior complimenting the gooey filling of the mac 'n' cheese absolutely delicious. Plenty of seasoned pulled beef was found rolled into each of the croquettes. And the fried oysters were a decent size providing crunch and a slight taste of the ocean.

There could have been more variety to the snacks, the sample menu on the website a much better representation. Where was the fresh or saucy elements to add interest? We diversified the snacks by adding on orders of the Korean fried cauliflower ($9), an amazing dish that is reminiscent of fried chicken yet has a creamier center. The spicy, sweet and savoury sauce was spot on to awaken the taste buds.


The following appetizers were more varied, with the tuna ceviche a great dish for helping to cut the greasiness of the previous fried products. Big chunks of soft big eye tuna and pineapple were tossed in a zesty lime and Serrano chili mixture that added heat without being overpowering.


I enjoyed the lighter dressing used in the black kale ceasar, given the other ingredients used in the salad were bold: large chunks of chewy oak smoked bacon, crunchy garlic croutons, salty parmesan and my favourite - soft boiled egg made with beet juice to give it a lovely pink hue.


Of the appetizers, the one that was a waste of stomach space was the pulled pork tacos. The corn tortilla, although warm and seemingly of the artisan variety, had dried out hard bits. Moreover, the pork so dry that extra tomatillo salsa and avocado crema had to be added in hopes of reviving it.


Trust me, don’t fill up on the snacks and appetizers … save room for the main event! The pit master platter was the most glorious part of the entire experience, filled with slices of juicy beef brisket infusing my mouth with a rich beef flavour, spice-crusted pork ribs that have a light heavenly smoke, and moist sizzling pieces of buttermilk fried chicken. Although Carbon Bar provides bottles of their house made sauces (espresso and sweet & spicy BBQ), the meats were flavourful enough to enjoy on their own.


As if there wasn’t enough food, we decided to add on orders of mac and cheese ($19). The stomach room it consumed was well worth it, the sauce a well-balance creaminess with sufficient amount of gooey cheese and the pasta left with a bite. As if there wasn't enough meat, the dish also incorporates generous portions of brisket.


Being so full, I couldn’t even try the other sides, except the handful of crunchy hot-from-the-fryer shoestring fries. The TBC coleslaw and stewed beets looked beautiful, but I simply couldn’t eat another bite…


That is, until dessert arrived. I couldn’t help it, they both looked so good! The Kentucky Derby pie is like a pecan pie on steroids – large pecan pieces amongst a rich butter tart batter and flaky crust with drizzles of bitter chocolate on top. On the side, a whisky infused whipped cream to add a kick of bitterness to cut through the sweetness.


The warm apple crumble incorporated plenty of diced apples amongst a buttery salty crumble giving the dessert a salty caramel taste. With plenty of spices, crunch from nuts and cooled with the creamy vanilla ice cream, it was a delicious dessert.


Throughout the meal, our server did a great job – being attentive and working with others to ensure the entire table was served at once. The dishes were also split well with plates spaced nicely amongst the table to ensure everyone had access to all the food and passing not really required.

Sadly, the euphoric experience didn’t last and a sour note ended the meal when we asked a lady clearing the table for the bill. Despite she was actually working at the table, she snappily noted she wasn't our server so couldn't do it … but would find the right person. Come on, if you’re intending to find your colleague anyways, what's the point of telling customers? Just do it! To us, you're all a team and one restaurant; I frankly don't care about your internal division of labour.

It’s such a shame the Carbon Bar experience was ruined by less than ideal service at the beginning and end. What a difference compared to my past visits to the restaurant when the friendly service was something I remember fondly. On the most recent visit, I had even thought the experience improved enough to increase their rating to an 8 out of 10.

Although the food was fantastic, poor first and last impressions should never be part of an experience. So sadly, the Carbon Bar has slipped a point. Go for the food, if you happen to get great service from everyone, count yourself lucky.

 Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 99 Queen Street East

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

The Carbon Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Bryggeriet Flakhaven (Odense)

Posted on Monday, December 21, 2015 by

Bryggeriet Flakhaven is one of the restaurants run by the Flakhaven Brewery. Situated in the old City Hall building, it’s conveniently located and windows look out into the city centre. The restaurant’s website provides a delightful recount of the building’s history: it once held the famous author, H.C. Andersen’s, grandmother prisoner as she had a baby out of wedlock; these same dungeons have now been transformed into the brewery.

Their menu consists of hearty dishes that pairs with well with, not surprisingly, beer. The small order of spare ribs (175 DKK) was huge - an entire rack of soft moist ribs. They appeared to be baked rather than smoked or grilled so lacked the strong charcoal scent, but were still succulent and tasty. Served with a baked potato, forgettable coleslaw and two large canisters of barbecue & steak sauce (think of the peppery Worcestershire laced HP sauce), I could dip to my heart’s content.


The Brewery’s burger (159 DKK) seems to be a popular dish as almost every table had an order. They certainly didn’t skimp on toppings, the steak patty was topped with bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce, red onions and pickles. Thick roasted potato wedges and a generous portion of mustard mayonnaise finished off the dish.


Being a person who loves choice, their three beer tasting flight (59 DKK) was perfect. Containing the popular pilsner, brown ale and a seasonal brew, the Weizen-bock, it was a nice selection of flavours and richness.

Bryggeriet’s dining room is bright and airy, more like a cozy brunch place than brewery. Additionally, unlike other similar restaurants, which tends to be huge, their dining room only consists of a dozen tables so make reservations to avoid disappointment. It’s a quaint environment, ideal for relaxing and people watching, and great for admiring their beautiful copper distilling equipment.


Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Odense, Denmark
 Address: Flakhaven 2

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

The Smoke (Collingwood)

Posted on Sunday, December 20, 2015 by
The Smoke Collingwood
Collingwood has a thriving restaurant scene, especially in the Blue Mountain area. During a girl’s weekend, we decided to venture away from the Mountain and try the restaurants within the town itself – the first being a BBQ joint, The Smoke, which was featured on You Gotta Eat Here.

As their name indicates, the restaurant is known for smoked foods; not only meats but also fish and bananas used in ice cream. So, it’d be a shame to visit without trying something prepared using their namesake method. The smoked BBQ wings ($12) were fantastic, so delicious that we put in a second order right afterwards. The BBQ sauce had a light tanginess to it but wasn’t too strong to mask the aromatic smokiness. The wings were grilled after being tossed in the sauce to help provide a deeper caramelized flavour.


The Smoke sampler ($29) was perfect for our first visit, allowing us to share and try the ½ rack of back ribs, 8oz of pulled pork and 6oz of beef brisket. 


At the restaurant, they cook their meats in the smoker then cry-o-vac and chill them. As dishes are ordered, the meat is revived in a sous vide water bath before being finished on the grill. This method certainly makes for a juicy and tender meat, but also dampens the strong BBQ flavour.


However, if anything is lacking in the flavour department, the bottles of sauces at the table will correct the problem. I love the fact that we didn’t have to choose when we ordered and could take our time trying all of them. Indeed, everyone had their favourites. For me I found the smokin’ hot BBQ sauce great with the ribs, the smoky sweet BBQ sauce with the brisket the slightly vinegary Carolina mustard sauce great with pulled pork.

For the sides, two orders of mac ‘n’ cheese ensured we wouldn’t have to fight over it. The penne was nice and al dante but the cheese sauce could be stronger. Maybe it’s due to the meats and sauces being so intense, the pasta’s smoked cheddar cheese sauce didn’t stand out at all.

With all the heavy meats, the leafy garden salad ($8) was a welcomed side and had a great mustard dressing. Meanwhile, their soup of the day ($9), a potato cheddar, was thick, velvety and flavourful.


The complimentary corn bread was pretty bad – horribly dry, crumbly and lacked flavour… even a pat of butter couldn’t revive it. If the recipe can’t be improved, The Smoke should consider offering another carb instead. Based on the Charleston episode of Parts Unknown, supposedly the best one to pair with BBQ is plain soft sliced bread.


But, I can overlook this small misstep … really who needs to fill up on bread when you have such amazing smoked wings?

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Collingwood, Canada
 Address: 498 First Street
 Website: http://thesmoke.ca/

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

TheSmoke Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Big Bone BBQ and Wicked Wings (Newmarket)

Posted on Sunday, June 28, 2015 by


Big Bone BBQ

With Rib Fest season set to kick off, this post on Big Bone BBQ and Wicked Wings occurs at an opportune time. If you frequent the events, you may remember the stall Purple Pig. My friend recounts that it was her family’s favourite place and was extremely disappointed when they closed. So, imagine to her delight when she realized Big Bone is the reincarnated Purple Pig from the festivals!

Since this was my first experience, the Big Bone combo ($21.95) was the smart choice to try their ribs and wings. With ½ rack of ribs, pound of wings, and tons of sides, it was more than enough to share between my friend and me.

The meat’s flavour has the chance to shine through given the ribs were covered with enough sauce without being drenched. The glaze was well balanced with hints of tangy and sweet flavours. Most of all, I liked that there was some bite to the ribs – sure they separated from the bone easily but not to the point that it simply falls off.

Big Bone BBQ

As for the second part of their name, Wicked Wings, these are intensely smoked so the flavour permeates through the chicken. We ordered ours tossed in a hot and honey sauce but really the great smoky flavour with a lighter BBQ glaze would have been more than enough.

Although the meat was fantastic the sides were less exciting: the coleslaw sickeningly sweet, the corn bread hard and cold, and the baked beans decent but tasting of the canned Heinz variety. The fries were the only redemption arriving hot and crispy but definitely not made-in-house with fresh potatoes. But then, who’s really here to eat all the fillers? Give me the meat any day.

The dining area is small and simple but we were able to score a table for four on Friday evening despite their no-reservation policy. Regulars seem to get takeout instead so the tables turn over at a good clip. However, with the constant flow of takeout, the food takes time to arrive – a test to my willpower when all I can smell is roasting meat and platters walk by looking much like my order.

After dinner, we were so impressed that we ordered takeout for our families. Between the flurry of requests, Big Bone mixed up two of my friends’ wing orders. One friend, who coincidently was the one who loved them so much, called to let them know. Lee Rombos, co-founder of Big Bone answered and apologized for the mistake. My friend wanted me to point out that he was very nice and even offered her a gift certificate to make-up for the error. Certainly a testament to their friendly service.  

If you’re like me and the crowds of rib fest seem daunting, look no further as a past contender has set-up permanent locations to serve us instead. Sure, I’ll miss out on trying five different racks, but what Big Bone is serving is pretty good. Enough to leave me wanting more and likely make the long drive up North again.

 Overall mark - 8.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 207 Eagle Street

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog

 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:


Sariwon (Thornhill)

Posted on Sunday, April 14, 2013 by
Location: Thornhill, Canada
Address: 7388 Yonge Street
Type of Meal: Dinner

 Mentioning Korean barbeque in Toronto brings up images of all you can eat restaurants where diners cram around a small table and cook thinly sliced meat on a cast iron plate. The quality of the meat is usually subpar but the prices are cheap and food is plentiful.  Sariwon is where you can go to experience authentic Korean barbeque cooking in a comfortable environment.

Located in a retail plaza on the bottom of condo buildings, the location is surprisingly large with tons of tables and several tucked away in separate rooms.  Tables are spaced a comfortable distance away from each other so you don’t feel like you’re spying on you’re the cooking skills of your neighbours.
Sariwon serves an extensive menu with Korean non-barbeque dishes (pork bone soup, bibimbap, etc.) as well as a couple of pages dedicated to Chinese cuisine.  However, you get a sense to stay away from all these as everyone who comes generally gets their barbeque mains.  To be fair, it appears this is what they do best as the goon man doo (dumplings) ($6.95) we ordered to begin was pretty disappointing – tasteless pork filling wrapped in thin oily deep-fried dough.  It needed something more - vegetables to add some texture, sauce to give it some flavour, really anything to make it taste less like store bought frozen dumplings.

Before the mains arrived, two complimentary appetizers came first - salad with a homemade orange dressing and a vegetable omelette pancake.  Nothing that blows your mind but of course appreciated.  I particularly liked that their pancake wasn’t too doughy and had a fair amount of vegetables sprinkled throughout.

 Next came a boiling bowl of deonjang jjigae (soybean paste tofu soup) filled with cubes of tofu, slivers of vegetables, button mushrooms and pieces of octopus.  I could have just eaten that with a bowl of rice.  The savoury soup had just a hint of spice from the chilies in it and with the plethora of ingredients really became a hearty stew.

Deonjang jjigae


 Finally our mains arrived, which required a trolley to serve with the abundance of banchan (small side dishes to share) that came with it.  In total, we received eight dishes (not all pictured) including:
  • Napa cabbage kimchi
  • Cucumber kimchi
  • Some sort of pickled vegetable (radish or coyote vegetable) in a jalapeño brine
  • Spicy blanched bean sprouts tossed in sesame oil
  • Julienned fish pancakes mixed in a sweet and sour vinaigrette
  • Oyster sauce (?) stir fried peanuts
  • Julienned raw potato salad
  • Stir fried dried shrimp in a sweet soy sauce

With the exception of the dried shrimp, I liked them all.  I appreciated that the kimchi was not too fermented so the vegetables retained their crispness.  The various flavours and acidity of the dishes went well with the heaviness of the meat. 
 

For the barbeque meats, we ordered sam kyub sal (pork belly) ($18.95) and yang yum kalbi (marinated beef short ribs) ($26.95).  The pork belly wasn’t what I expected; arriving like strips of bacon except being tasteless given it hadn’t been smoked or salted.  It was bland and after cooking tasted like grilled boiled pork so I wouldn’t order again.  The kalbi was much better, tender and marinated so that it was flavourful but not overpoweringly sweet.  Additionally, it was cut to a good thickness – not too thin that it overcooked easily but also not so thick that you felt you had to gnaw at it.  
A basket of crisp romaine lettuce and a green onion soy vinaigrette salad accompanied the meats so that you could wrap them like ssam.  Each person also received a dish of sweet bean paste of peppered sesame oil to add more flavour if required.  I really enjoyed the bean paste and finished every drop of it.
Lettuce dishes


Small bowls of soojong gwa (chilled ginger-cinnamon tea) finished off our meal.  The pieces of crushed ice floating in the sweet liquid were perfect after sitting beside the heat of the grill.



Sariwon is great place to go with a group of friends if you just want to take your time having dinner.  We didn’t feel rushed and the staff generally left us alone until we called them with the button situated on the wall beside our table.  The drinks were reasonably priced; bottles of Sapporo only set us back $5 apiece.  What you end up paying is comparable with the all-you-can-eat Korean barbeque places but you’re in a more comfortable environment.  The two meat dishes was more than enough to satisfy three people and we were stuffed given the soup, salad, rice and banchan that’s also served with it.  In the future, I’ll be visiting Sariwon when I want Korean barbeque.



 Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!
For further general discussions about this blog please refer to http://gastroworldblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-to-gastro-world.html


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